The Supreme Court of Pakistan lifted a ban on the hunting of endangered houbara bustard on the basis of the economic backwardness of the area where these migratory species land.Pakistan government requested the court to lift the ban as houbara hunting is a “corner stone of [Pakistan’s] foreign policy.” With Gulf state.This has been reported in Dawn newspaper.

Houbara bustard is famous for its aphrodisiacal flesh in Arabian world. This bird has been wiped out in Arabian Peninsula due to hunting by Arabian sheikhs.

In its 16-page judgement, the top court said the “Examination of the laws clearly shows that permanent ban on hunting of houbara bustard is not envisaged.”

“Even IUCN recognizes sustainable use of the natural resources,” the court said, maintaining that “considering the economic backwardness of the areas where these migratory species land, it is very hard for conservation efforts to be successful without uplifting the economic well-being of those areas.”

Every year in winters wealthy hunters from Gulf State travel to Balochistan to kill the houbara bustard. According to reports a Saudi prince killed 1,977 birds during a 21-day hunting safari in Pakistan in 2014.

Classified as a vulnerable species due to hunting and habitat degradation, the houbara bustard is globally protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

Hunting these birds is banned in Pakistan, but the government issues special permits to Gulf states’ royals allowing them to hunting up to 100 birds in 10 days in the area allocated, excluding reserved and protected areas.